The Cycle of Magic
by Dreaming June
Summary: [On Hiatus] Set in the changed future, Wyatt, Chris and Melinda come together to claim the power of three after the death of a beloved near to their hearts. Please read and review.
1. The End Before a New Beautiful Beginning

**Author's Note**: My first attempt at a Charmed fic so be nice. Just an idea I had to write about Piper's children when she dies in the changed future. It is set a year after Chris returns from the future when he 'dies'. Piper has Wyatt (25), Chris (23) and Melinda (21). Leo stayed an elder and Phoebe and Paige (with their new families with Coop and Henry) have moved out and continued their lives separately. The 'Charmed Ones' do not exist as the three sisters have started new lives. They still have their powers and they still battle demons but the power of three is gone.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Charmed or any of its characters.

Please read and review. I am completely open to constructive criticism. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1 - The End Before a New Beautiful Beginning.

Melinda Prudence Halliwell could feel her heart breaking. It was more literal than most people thought, she could feel a sharp ache in her chest and she wanted more than anything for it to stop. Her deep brown eyes welled up in tears and her mind began to spin.

"Mel, wait!" Ben Clarke jumped off the dorm bed, half naked, and ran to his girlfriend. "Mel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Melinda looked from Ben, to the female stranger sitting on _her_ bed. She just shook her head. She wanted to slap him, or kick him, or telekinetically slam him against the wall. But she didn't want to touch him, rather, she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

She gave him a long look, grabbed her bag and jacket, and left. She would have given anything to borrow Chris' or Wyatt's power at that moment. She needed desperately to get away, and orbing would have done that for her in a second.

In her car, Melinda sped to her childhood home. Tears rushed down her face, leaving her usually smooth skin blotchy. She didn't know why she was returning to the manor, she just needed to get away. She needed to go back to the place that had always been a source of happiness for her.

Stopping her car in front of the huge pink Victorian manor, Melinda got out of her car and headed inside. Just outside the door, Mel could hear bumps and glass shattering. And then a groan of pain.

"Mom!" She heard Chris' voice shriek as she fumbled for her key. Mel silently cursed herself as her fingers shook with fear and dropped the key. But instead of bending over and picking it up, Mel held her open palm up to the door and pushed telekinetically, breaking the lock and swinging the door open.

The scene that lay before her turned her insides into ice. Her mother lay on the floor of the wide corridor in a pool of blood. She was still conscious, but only just. Chris stood in front of her, fending off at least half a dozen demons.

"Mel!" Chris turned, his hazel eyes wide with surprise. That split second of distraction left him open for attack, and a demon took advantage of that. An energy ball hurled towards him and knocked him back against the wall below the staircase railing.

Rushing in, Melinda dropped her handbag and skidded to a stop in front of her mother. A fireball flew towards her and she held up a hand automatically, telekinetically pushing it back to the demon who had sent it to her. The demon cried out in pain and burst into flames, vanquished immediately.

"Chris!" Melinda called out, flicking her wrists and sending a blast of explosive energy towards the demon in front of her. He exploded in a shower of black particles. Chris stood up, groaning, and joined Melinda. "Where's Wyatt?!" She cried out, throwing a demon into the solarium with a wave of her arm.

"Wyatt!" Chris called out, holding up his hand and returning an energy ball back to its sender, vanquishing him in the process.

"Chris, stop, I can handle this." Melinda shouted out as she faced the last three demons. "Just go get Wyatt!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Chris cried out, sending a demon through the stained glass windows of the solarium. A soft groan of pain sounded behind them and the two witches spun around to see their mother begin to sweat.

"Wyatt!" Melinda called out. With her back turned, the demon's had an open shot. An energy ball hurled at her, hitting her in the shoulder and she fell back onto the floor like a crumpled lily.

"Mel!" Chris called out. He continued fending off the demons as a tall broad man with short blonde hair orbed into the room. Even before the blue and white orbs dissipated, Wyatt began working. He sent out a telekinetic blast, vanquishing the rest of the demons in one motion.

As Chris ran to Mel, who was still conscious, Wyatt kneeled next to his mother and held his hands over her heart. Scratches marred her cheekbones, and wounds bled from her chest and shoulders, staining her clothes and trickling onto the wooden floorboards.

"Heal her!" Melinda cried out hysterically as she sat on her mother's other side. "Why aren't you healing her?!"

"I can't!" Wyatt said, desperately trying again. "It's not working."

"Wyatt, heal her! Heal her now!" Melinda repeated over and over.

"Mel, stop." Chris, who was crying too, kneeled next to his youngest sister and tried to calm her.

"Dad!" Melinda stood up, her brown eyes looking to the heavens. "Dad, come back!" Of course he wasn't going to. He hadn't been with the family for a long time, he had been up in the heavens helping the greater good but ignoring his family.

"Mel, stop." Chris helped her onto the day seat behind them.

But she wrestled from his grip. "Why can't you heal her?!" She screamed at Wyatt, tears pouring down her face. "Wyatt, heal her!"

"Mel, I can't." Wyatt stepped over to her, his own blue eyes tearing up. He lowered his hands to her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Mel, I'm so sorry."

"No! NO!" She slapped his arms away. Melinda fell to her knees, grabbing her mother's shoulders and shook her, trying to wake her. "Mom, please! Please, come back. Please." Melinda dissolved into tears and sobs, cradling her mother in her arms. Sorrow, grief and pain wracked her heart and her mind. Her chest tightened and her muscles ached as she rocked back and forth, unable to cease the sobbing.


	2. The Hurt

**Author's Note:** Here's my second chapter! Thanks to Queen of Gabb 488, charmed-freak, Blackangle2011 and sam jay for reviewing my first chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one. And don't forget to review, please!!

**Disclaimers: **I don't own any characters, concepts or objects related to Charmed as they belong to some very rich and successful people, i.e. not me! Thanks.

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Chapter 2 - The Hurt

Paige Mitchell doubled over in pain. Her charge gazed at her worriedly as pain and fear wrapped around Paige's heart. A strong sense of Piper consumed her and Paige knew that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm sorry Michael, I have to go." Paige said, orbing immediately to the manor. There she saw her strongest niece laying on the floor, cradling the very still and very cold body of her eldest sister. Wyatt and Chris stood around them, watching with red, raw eyes.

"Aunt Paige." Wyatt said softly, his voice hoarse.

Paige couldn't move. Her hazel eyes welled up and she kneeled down next to Melinda. Clearing her throat, Paige took charge.

"Chris, go get your Aunt Phoebe." Paige's voice was deep and cold, trying very hard to control her voice before it gave out. "Wyatt, orb '_up there_' and find your father. Melinda-"

Paige had been trying to pull Melinda away from Piper's body, but Mel yanked her arm away from her aunt and held her mother tighter. The boys just stood there and watched.

"Wyatt, Chris, go!" Paige hissed, the tears that were welling up in her eyes fell down her cheeks. But before they could orb, a pink glow appeared, enveloping two figures. As the glow subsided, Phoebe Halliwell and Coop stood there.

Phoebe pulled away from her husband immediately and moved down to Piper and Melinda. "Oh, god."

"Okay, Wyatt, go and get your father." Paige said through clenched teeth, pulling Melinda up once more. "Chris, take your sister upstairs." Melinda didn't move, she just cried silently, clutching at her mother.

"Mel," Chris said softly. He said her name again, this time pulling her eyes up to him. "Mel, come on. Mom wouldn't want this." Melinda began tearing up again, profusely, and took Chris' hand. They orbed upstairs.

"Oh god," Phoebe whispered again.

"I know, Phoebe, but you can't fall apart on me." Paige said, trying to be strong. "We have so much to do now. Come on. All the kids need us to be strong for them."

"I know," Phoebe cleared her throat and stood up. "What do we need to do?"

"Well, you've told me so much about what happened when Prue died." Paige said. "We need to make sure no one suspects anything and that we don't expose magic."

"Okay, how do we do that?" Phoebe asked.

"Here." Paige took Phoebe's hand and began to recite her best spell. "Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause this scene to become unseen."

Immediately the blood was cleaned up around Piper, all the scorch marks on the walls disappeared and any demonic debris cleared up.

"How do we explain an energy ball to the chest to the coroner?" Phoebe asked.

"I'll take care of it." Coop said softly. The two remaining Charmed sisters turned to him. Of course, Cupids had the power to persuade the heart; Coop could surely persuade the mortals not to investigate any further

* * *

"Dad?" Wyatt looked around the heavenly hall. Mist fogged around at his ankles and hooded figures stood in circles, discussing secret issues in their clicking tongue. No one even noticed Wyatt. "Dad?!" He called out loudly. 

Orbs materialised in front of him and Leo stood before him. "Wyatt, what're you doing here?"

"Something happened." Wyatt said coldly. "Demons attacked. They got Mom."

"What do you mean, they got her?" Leo frowned. "They kidnapped her?"

"No!" Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "They killed her. That's all I came here to say." Like his siblings, Wyatt felt disdain towards their father. He had left a few years after Melinda was born and they barely spoke to him. "Paige just wanted you to know." Before waiting for his father's response, Wyatt orbed down, back to his home.

The main corridor of the bottom floor had been completely cleaned up. His mother's body had been removed.

"Chris? Mel?" Wyatt called out.

"They're upstairs." Paige said. She and Phoebe were sitting in the living room, the Book of Shadows sitting front of them, tears running down both their faces.

"What are you guys doing? Where's Mom?" Wyatt asked.

"They took her away." Phoebe said solemnly. "The police have been through here and they took her body away."

"What?" Wyatt's blue eyes widened. "And what about exposure?" That lesson had been drummed into him for as long as he could remember. Exposing magic to the world would have disastrous effects.

"We cleaned it all up, don't worry." Paige said. "Right now we have to find the demons that killed her."

"Revenge." Wyatt said quietly but fiercely.

"No." Phoebe's voice was short and sharp. "That would be personal gain. We are tracking and vanquishing these demons so that they don't hurt anyone else. Loved one or innocent."

"You guys need to slow down." Wyatt said. "Can't we just take this step by step?"

"Wyatt, you don't understand how deep this goes." Paige said. "There are demons smart enough and powerful enough to kill a former Charmed One. A Warren witch. A Halliwell witch. If there is that much power out there that has come together and has set its target on our family, then we need to get to work before they come back."

"You are treating this like they just killed an innocent." Wyatt said coldly, his blue eyes glaring from his Aunt Paige to his Aunt Phoebe.

"We understand why you're upset Wyatt," Phoebe sighed, standing up. "We're upset, too, but it doesn't change the fact that there are demons out there that are now after us. Maybe after you, maybe Chris, maybe Mel."

"No, you don't understand!" Wyatt cried out, anger blazing in his eyes. "Don't you get it? Mom just died! She's dead now, she's gone forever!"

"Wyatt?" The voice sounded so young, so innocent. But it was Melinda who had said it. And right behind her was Chris. Her hazel eyes were rimmed with red, her smooth pale skin, as pale as her Aunt Paige's, was pink and blotchy, and her dark mahogany hair was dishevelled. Those eyes gazed solemnly at her eldest brother. A flash of anger and pain crossed those eyes that were staring at Wyatt.

"Mel." Wyatt whispered as she ran to him, burying her head against his chest and hugging him tightly. A small lump formed in his throat as he held onto his baby sister and never wanting to let go. He looked up at Chris, who was standing just behind them, and he spoke to both his younger siblings: "Don't worry, we'll deal with this. We can handle this." His voice was soft and whispered, touching the innermost core of both Chris and Melinda. They nodded, both gazing up at their eldest brother.


	3. The Funeral

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, here's the third chapter. Thanks for getting this far in my story and I really hope that you enjoy. But if you don't, feel free to comment and tell me what I'm doing wrong. If you in fact are enjoying it then YAY! And please review too.

**Disclaimer: **Charmed is owned by much richer people than me. Thanks J

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Chapter 3 - The Funeral

The day of the funeral had passed. Chris, dressed in a black suit, sat at the front of the seats that had been laid out in front of his mother's grave at the cemetery. He felt his hands go numb as he sat there, barely listening to the minister speak. To his left sat Wyatt, also in a black suit. He looked so wrapped in what was being said, he looked like he was paying attention. But Chris knew that Wyatt was far away.

And to Chris' right sat Melinda, wearing a modest black dress. She had been quietly weeping ever since she left the house. Chris' heart went to her as he saw her lips tremble and tears falling down her high cheekbones. He reached over to her, pulling her to him so that her head rested safely on his shoulder. And there they stayed until the funeral was over.

Afterwards, the Halliwell Manor held so many people Chris wanted nothing more than to telekinetically throw every single guest out. But he couldn't. Instead, he sat in the living room, staring out the window and up at the sky. _Mom, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you. I am so sorry_.

* * *

Melinda Halliwell sat on the day seat beneath the staircase. Her beautiful hazel eyes stared at the very spot that her mother had died. The scene playing over and over in her mind. Her heart beat faster as tears streamed down her face.

Someone dropped a spoon on the floor and the noise startled her. Melinda jumped and a glass vase exploded. Someone shrieked and people looked scared, staring from the shattered glass on the floor, around the room.

But Mel didn't even notice. She sat there, staring at the spot that her mother had died, immune to the noise and chaos around her.

* * *

Wyatt stood, leaning against a wall, keeping an eye on his brother and sister. Chris looked so far away, and Melinda looked extremely troubled. As the glass vase shattered, flowers, water and glass showered the end table and floor. Frowning, Wyatt ignored the mess, knowing that one of his uncles or cousins would clean it up. He went over to Mel and sat next to her. She was so focused on the floor that she didn't even look up.

"Mel." Wyatt said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. The touch made her jump and a china saucer flew off the kitchen table, shattering immediately. "Mel, snap out of it." He wasn't worried about the saucer, there were enough people around to hide the magical display. It looked like someone had accidentally knocked the saucer over.

"I miss her." Mel spoke quietly, her eyes still gazing blankly at the floor.

"I know, Mel, I miss her too." Wyatt said. Finally she seemed to wake out of her trance and looked up at him.

"I don't know how I'd do this without you and Chris." Mel said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I know exactly how you feel, Mel." Wyatt sighed sadly, putting his arm around her and squeezing her forearm gently.

"Mel. Wy." Chris whispered, approaching them. "Come with me." He headed towards the kitchen. Mel and Wyatt shared a looked, shrugged and followed.

"Chris, what's going on?" Mel asked.

"This." Chris said, holding out his hands. "Book of Shadows." The ancient, moss green leather tome orbed into his hands. As soon as the swirls of blue and white subsided, Chris set it onto the kitchen bench and began flipping through it.

"Chris, what are you doing?!" Mel hissed quietly. "What if someone walks in here?"

"Then you can freeze them." Chris shrugged casually, stopping a page. "I was looking through this last night and I found them."

"The demons." Wyatt said, almost ferociously.

"What are you guys doing?" A female voice spoke heavily. All three jumped, turning around sharply. Chris snapped the book shut and tried to hide it feebly under his hands and Mel raised her hands to freeze whoever it was who had intruded on them.

A short young woman stood at the doorway with her eyebrows raised expectantly, her large brown eyes glancing down at the Book before looking back up at her cousins.

"Prue." Mel lowered her hands. Prudence Charlotte Halliwell narrowed her eyes at Chris.

"What are you guys doing with the Book?" She stepped forward. If anything, Chris would have rather been busted by a mortal. Prue was extremely fussed with magic exposure and anything related to magic, really. Being busted by Prue was like being caught by Aunt Paige.

Mel knew that Prue wouldn't react well to either Chris and Wyatt trying to reason with her, so she gave it a go. Taking a step forward, she spoke: "Prue, please, this is really major. You know the demons that k-killed our mom? We found them. And now we need to get them."

Prue's mahogany brown eyes widened. As much as she was a stickler for rules, she loved her family very much and she loved her Aunt Piper more than anything. "Where and when?"

"Now." Chris said. "In the Underworld."

"Uh, we can't go now." Prue said. "The wake, remember?"

"Afterwards then." Wyatt said fiercely. Mel nodded.

"Guys?" Another figure pushed through the door and looked around. The girl who stood there looked like a younger version of Prue. Her cheekbones and chin were more delicate though, much more like her mother. Her clear blue eyes were red and she was still crying.

"Patty." Mel rushed forward and hugged her cousin. "It's okay, Patty."

"I'm so sorry." Patricia Helena Halliwell sobbed. She sobered for a second. "What're you guys all doing in here?"

"What's with all the people in here?" Aunt Phoebe's voice spoke as the door was pushed open once more and she stepped in.

"Aunt Phoebe." Chris said, shuffling the Book of Shadows behind Wyatt.

"Mom." Prue jumped.

Melinda stepped towards her aunt. "Aunt Phoebe, I'm sorry. I know that gathering up like this doesn't look good to the guests but I really couldn't handle it anymore. I just hate being reminded that she's gone." Melinda paused. What had started out as a lie to bail them out had turned into an emotional outbreak. Mel's eyes welled up and her throat choked. "Mom's really gone." She burst into sobs and her aunt pulled her into a hug.

"I know, Mel." She whispered in her ear. Mel calmed down, her eyes drying.


	4. Back In Business

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, school's been hectic lately. Thanks so much for everyone who has read and reviewed up to this point. Every review inspires me to write more! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please review!!

**Disclaimer:** Charmed, its characters and concepts are owned by ... well...Constance M. Burge, right? Well, I don't own it, that's for sure. Nor do I make money from this story. :-)

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Chapter 4 - Back in Business

A week had passed since Piper Halliwell's death and much had changed for Melinda Prudence Halliwell. She hadn't been to college for quite a while. Partly because she had been so wrapped up in her family and partly because she didn't want to see her boyfriend at all.

"Breakfast?" Christopher Perry Halliwell asked cheerily as Mel stepped into the kitchen. She had stayed in her childhood bedroom for the past week and needed to speak to Chris about officially moving in. She just hadn't had the chance.

"Sure." Mel smiled, sitting down in the seat that she used to take every morning since she was four. Now was as good a time as any, Mel thought as Chris placed a plate of wheat germ pancakes in front of her. "Chris, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Chris looked up at her from the head of the table with a bottle of maple syrup in his hand.

"Well, since Mom died, a lot of things have obviously changed." Mel started, pressing her lips together in a pause. "I was just wondering about living arrangements."

"How do you mean?" Chris frowned. Since Wyatt and Melinda had moved out, it had just been he and Piper in the Halliwell Manor. Of course, Melinda and Wyatt visited a lot in the beginning, but they both became busier and saw them only when needed.

"Well, I've just realised that my life shouldn't be so much about college and work anymore." Mel sighed. "It's just that ever since I was young I never took magic as seriously as you or Wyatt."

"Yeah I know." Chris smiled. "You always wanted a normal life."

"Right." Mel nodded. "But now I've realised that my life isn't normal. And that I want to be a serious witch. Chris, I was wondering if I could move back in."

"You're serious." Chris' eyes widened, then he broke into a grin. "Of course you can move back in! It is sort of yours anyways. This is so amazing. Wyatt's gonna love it!"

"Wyatt?" Melinda asked, smiling as she began to slather butter and syrup on her pancakes.

"Yeah, last night he asked me if he could move in, too." Chris grinned. "It's so strange."

"It's kind of sad, I think." Mel pressed her lips together.

"How do you mean?" Chris frowned.

"Well, we haven't really connected as siblings for a while. All three of us, I mean." Melinda sighed, a lump forming in her throat. "And it took Mom's death to bring us together." Tears formed at the very corners of her eyes as she spoke.

Chris nodded. "Hey." He took her hand and she looked up at him. "It's all going to be okay." Melinda smiled through her tears and nodded.

* * *

Wyatt Matthew Halliwell awoke in the attic. Lying on an old couch with a heavy, ancient book sitting on his chest.

"Wy?" A young female voice spoke softly, almost shyly. Wyatt jolted up, the Book of Shadows slipping off his chest and falling to the floor with a thud. An eighteen year old girl with long, straight brown hair and pale, icy blue eyes stood at the doorway of the attic.

"Pen?" Wyatt rubbed his eyes, trying to shake away his drowsiness.

"Hey." Penelope Brianna Halliwell stepped awkwardly into the attic. "Have you been up here all night?"

"Yeah." Wyatt nodded. "I've been trying to find those demons."

"Um…" Penny frowned slightly. "Didn't I hear Prue say that Chris already found them?"

"Well, he found the demonic factions, yeah, but we haven't been able to find a way to get to them." Wyatt said with a slightly smile. "Go figure Chris will put so much effort into researching demons but not into actually finding them."

Penny smiled, a rare sight. Wyatt had known her, her entire life, and for those eighteen years she had always been painfully shy. Wyatt thought that maybe she was just going through that phase, but all through high school she remained just as shy. He had tried so many things to bring her out of her shell, he had even arranged a couple of blind dates. Many of his younger friends were keen because Penny had inherited her mother's clear complexion, delicate bone structure and chocolate brown hair. But they hadn't even asked for a second date, Penny had been way too shy to open up to them.

"Prue said that you guys were moving back in." Penny said softly.

"Yeah. Well, I am, but I'm not sure about Mel." Wyatt shrugged. "I haven't heard anything from her but it would be fantastic if she did."

"And she is," a female voice said from the doorway. Melinda stood there carrying an armful of herb vials. "Hey Penny."

"Hi, Mel." Penny nodded her head. "What's with the herbs?"

"Well, I saw Prue downstairs and she said that you were here." Mel said. "And I know that you're the best out of all of us when it comes to potions. And I've been really rusty with my potions."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you fail potions at Magic School?" Wyatt said with a grin. Penny laughed as Melinda flicked her wrist and an old cushion flew off the couch and batted the side of Wyatt's head.

"Personal gain." Prue chimed in airily as she stepped into the attic. "Hey guys."

"Prue." Wyatt nodded with a grin as he mock saluted her.

"So Penny, can you help me please?" Melinda said as she stepped over to the table and carefully placed all the herbs down.

"Of course." Penny trotted happily over to the cauldron. As the two cousins busied themselves with various basic potions, Wyatt and Prue flipped through the Book of Shadows and brainstormed ideas about finding the demonic faction they had set their target on.

A scream sounded downstairs and Wyatt orbed out immediately. Not a second later, Penny disappeared in a haze of pink as Mel and Prue thundered downstairs.

"Pat, get down!" Chris cried as he swung his arm forward and telekinetically pushed the energy ball that was hurtling towards Patricia away and returned it to the demon who had sent it.

The demon burst into flames but there were plenty other demons around to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, Patty was still on the floor and a demon telekinetically pulled her towards him and held a fireball dangerously close to her face.

"Don't move, any of you." The demon growled.


	5. Chaos

**Disclaimer:** You guys know the deal, I don't own Charmed.

**Author's Note: **Hey there guys! Here's the fifth chapter. Hope you guy enjoy, and remember: review!

Also, I thought I might clear up the cousins. Prue (21), Penelope (18) and Patricia (15) are Phoebe's daughters. Petra and Peyton (21), and Henry Jnr (19) are Paige's kids. Paige's children all have telekinetic orbing and orbing, and the other whitelighter abilities are distributed evenly among them. i.e. Petra can heal and glamour; Peyton has empathy and can sense others; and Henry is still discovering his abilities.

Prue has premonitions and molecular combustion (exploding things); Penny can levitate and teleport like a Cupid; and Patty has empathy and telekinesis.

Just in case you didn't know: Wyatt has all those abilities that I'm not gonna run through; Chris has TK, tele-orbing, orbing and sensing of his charges; and Mel has TK, freezing and exploding.

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Chapter 5

Chaos

"Pat." Prue whispered in horror.

"Don't." Wyatt warned his cousin. He caught Chris' eyes. "Get Pat out." He whispered. Chris nodded once at Wyatt and then nodded at Pat. In a flash, Wyatt waved his hand and the fireball that was mere inches away from his youngest cousin's face flew out of the demon's grasp and hit an unsuspecting demon behind them. As soon as Wyatt had raised his arm, Chris ran forward, skidded straight into Pat and orbed them both into the dining room, out of harm's way.

Then all hell broke loose. Fireballs and energy balls filled the air, demons exploded right and left, and witches were thrown across the hallway. Chris watched in dismay as an extremely large energy ball hit Wyatt in the chest. His older brother flew against a wall, crumpling to the floor.

In a blaze of anger, Chris rushed forward and blew up the demon who had sent the energy ball at his brother. Flicking his wrists over and over, every demon advancing on his family exploded in a flurry of flames.

Soon the Halliwell manor was clear of any demonic presence. Chris looked around the first floor of his home, examining the damage. Wyatt laid, unconscious, on the floor in a pool of blood. Prue stumbled, leaning against a wall, with an energy ball wound on her forearm. Penny was unconscious, crumpled on the floor in front of the stairs. Mel leaned over Penny, pulling her into a more accessible position.

"Chris," Patty whimpered from the dining room.

"Patty, it's okay." Chris said to her, kneeling down next to Wyatt. "Look, I know you're scared right now, but I really need your help. I need you to get Petra!"

"Petra?" Patty frowned in confusion. "She's in a class."

"Patty, Grace can heal." Chris said desperately. "We need her." Patty nodded and ran into the kitchen for the phone.

"Penny's okay." Mel said. "She's just knocked out."

"Same with Wyatt." Chris said. "Prue, you okay?"

"Yeah." Prue nodded faintly. "It was just an energy ball." Patty ran back into the room as Petra orbed in.

"Oh my God." Petra muttered, kneeling down next to Wyatt and beginning to heal him. Petra Grace Mitchell, was Paige and Henry Mitchell's first daughter, born sixteen minutes before her twin sister, Peyton Astrid Mitchell. Their younger brother, Henry Jnr, at twenty, was only a year younger than the twins. Grace was the only one of the three siblings who could heal.

Just as Wyatt opened his eyes, a knock sounded at the door. The cousins looked at each other.

"I'll get it." Melinda said, standing up. "I won't let them in." She went to the door, opened it a crack and stepped outside. There stood a tall young man with dark hair and hazel eyes. "Ben!"

"Hi Mel." He mumbled, gazing at her apologetically. Mel's soon-to-be ex boyfriend looked from her eyes, down to her hands and her shirt. "Is that blood?" He frowned.

"No." Mel said blankly. "Ben, what are you doing here?"

"Well I haven't seen you in a while, Mel." He said feebly. "I miss you."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "Ben, we're over. We have been for the past eight days. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy." Without another exchange of words or glances, Mel turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her.

"Who was it?" Chris asked.

"No one." Mel muttered through her teeth. "What's wrong?" Wyatt had been completely healed, and now both he and Petra were attempting to heal Penny. "What's taking so long?"

"Penny?" Patty's eyes filled with tears. "Penny, wake up."

"She's not asleep, honey." A cold female voice sounded from behind Mel. Chris looked up to see a demon standing behind his sister with a malicious expression on her face and an athame in her hand.

"Mel." Chris cried out as the demon lifted the athame to Melinda's waist and speared into his sister's flesh. As if in slow motion, Chris' eyes dropped as Mel crashed to the ground, and then raised to the demon. She winked at him before shimmering out.

Time sped up again, and Chris' cousins began swarming to Mel.

"Guys, step back." Wyatt ordered as he left Penny's side to heal Mel. For another slow ten minutes, Wyatt healed Mel and Petra healed Penny. Penny was the first to wake.

But Mel didn't budge. The blood had dissipated, and the wound had closed, but Mel remained unconscious. "Why isn't she healing?" Chris whispered to himself, the sense of déjà vu too strong to dismiss.

"I can feel it working." Wyatt said. "But it just isn't strong enough. My powers have been on the fritz ever since … ever since Mom."

"Well then what the hell do we do?" Chris exclaimed, gripping Melinda's arm tightly.

"I'll get Mom." Petra said quickly, tears in her eyes as she orbed away.

"It'll be too late." Wyatt said so softly that he was barely heard.

"What?" Chris barked, looking up at his brother with wary eyes.

"By the time Petra finds Aunt Paige and the two of them get to safe place to orb from, it'll be too late." Wyatt said bluntly. His own eyes were teary as he clutched Melinda's side.

"What about Dad?" Chris said suddenly. Wyatt looked at him. Chris was usually the last to suggest anything to do with their father, and the fact that he wanted to seek him out now showed just how scared Chris was. "Dad!" He called out to the heavens.

"He won't come." Wyatt whispered, his blue eyes dropping from Chris down to Mel's unmoved form. Suddenly the sound of orbing rang, and a swirl of white and blue lights appeared before them.

For just a second, Wyatt thought that maybe his father had heard his brother's call. That maybe, just this once, he would return to his family, even if it were just a quick visit to heal Melinda. For once in his life, Wyatt really did hope that it was his father orbing into their home.

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Hope you guys enjoyed that. Please review.


	6. Whitelighter

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Charmed. etc

Hey guys! I am so sorry about not updating sooner, I've had some stuff going on lately. But here's your next chapter! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate that. Anyways I hope that you enjoy this chapter, please review.

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Chapter 6

Whitelighter

The blue and white orbs swirled, glowing strong before dissipating altogether. And when the air cleared from all whitelighter magic, only a man remained. A man who clearly was not Wyatt's father.

The man looked young, perhaps mid-twenties if one were to warrant a guess. His green eyes gazed seriously from Wyatt, to Chris, to Melinda. Without a word, he knelt down quickly and began to heal her.

Not a word was spoken as a magical golden light emanated from this unfamiliar whitelighter's hands, spreading from Mel's heart and all through her body. All of a sudden, the colour returned to her skin and her eyes opened slowly.

"Mel, you're okay!" Chris exclaimed, hugging his sister tightly, almost suffocating her.

"Chris." Mel mumbled from beneath his hold, struggling to breathe. He let go, looking apologetic.

"Who are you?" Wyatt asked the whitelighter with a wary look on his face.

"My name is Myles," said the whitelighter, his eyes then landing on Melinda. "And I'm your new whitelighter."

"What?" Both Chris and Wyatt exclaimed, wearing very similar frowns.

"The Elders found out that Melinda wanted to practice witchcraft again," Myles said. "So they sent me down to guide her."

"But I don't need a whitelighter." Mel said automatically. "I've been raised a witch and I've got in-house-healers."

"Well, yes that's true." Myles pressed his lips together. "Well, the Elders wanted to reconnect with the Halliwell family. For a long time you've been cut off from them. You see, the Elders have so much knowledge about magic and sometimes they know when demons are attacking before you do, or even when you don't realize it altogether."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Is that some sort of jab at our powers?"

"What? No!" Myles said, taken aback. "No, it's just that the Elders have that whole 'all seeing' thing going on for them. That and if you guys have any problems, then you've got someone to ask."

Mel nodded. It made sense, but Chris and Wyatt didn't seem very receptive to the new whitelighter.

"And if the Elders need some little witches to do their dirty work, they'll call on us?" Chris said childishly with his hazel eyes narrowed.

"Dirty work?" Myles raised his eyebrows. "What dirty work?"

Chris opened his mouth to argue but Wyatt spoke over him. "What, like the Elders are totally and completely sin-free? Please!"

"Whoa! Hey!" Mel yelled. She knew how competitive and argumentative her brothers could be and this conflict could go on for hours. "Okay, calm down there guys. Look, we've got a new whitelighter, that can only be good for us. Also, we were just attacked by a roomful of upper level demons. Doesn't that strike anyone as odd considering only a week ago, a whole bunch of other demons attacked us in this very same room? We've got work to do."

For a moment the room was silent. No one said a word. The peace was then broken by orbing. Aunt Paige and Petra orbed into the manor foyer.

"What happened?" Paige asked immediately.

"Demons." Prue reported. "But Chris got them all. And Mel got a whitelighter."

Paige's eyebrows raised as her jaw dropped. "Whitelighter." She stated, glancing suspiciously at Myles. "Well…considering everything seems to be in order, I better be off. I've got a couple charges to take care of. If anything else comes up, feel free to call." Mel nodded and her aunt orbed away.

"Actually I have to go, too." Petra said, looking apologetic. "I was in the middle of class." Petra nodded her goodbyes and orbed away quickly.

"Oh crap." Wyatt deadpanned as he glanced as his watch. "I had an interview today. I'm gonna be late." Quickly, Wyatt orbed upstairs to get changed.

"Did he not hear me on the whole upper level demons thing?" Melinda asked.

"Mel, he's got a job interview," Chris said. "Look, we can look up these demons ourselves. We don't need Wyatt to do everything."

"Are you guys sticking around?" Mel asked, looking to her cousins.

"Of course." Prue nodded with a serious expression on her face. "We've got demons to face." She went upstairs, followed by Penny and Patty.

Mel turned to Chris. His hazel eyes gazed blankly at a spot on the floor of the hallway. Mel's eyes followed his gaze and felt a pang when she herself was staring at the very place where her mother had died.

"Chris," Mel caught his arm and attempted to pull him upstairs. He didn't budge; a menacing look on his face. His jaw clenched and his Adam's apple jumped. "Chris, come on." Tears formed in his eyes and he continued to stare. "Chris." Mel stepped into his line of sight and snapped him out of it. "I know how hard this is. I know that it's hard for us to move on and continue all of this demon battling when Mom's gone. But we have to. Mom spent most of her life helping people and ridding the world of evil to make sure we would live in a safe world. By not helping her, we're disrespecting her."

Chris swallowed again. "How do they expect us to keep on doing this?"

"It doesn't matter what they want," Melinda said fiercely. "What matters is what we want and what Mom wanted. She would have wanted us to keep fighting to protective ourselves and the family. And then to protect our own children when it comes to that."

Chris finally turned to Melinda. "It's too hard."

Mel nodded. "I know. But you still have me, and you still have Wyatt. And we all have the rest of the family. We can do this."

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Thanks for reading guys! Don't forget to review. ) Oh, a friend of mine and I have set up a new Charmed RPG. If you guys are looking, check for 'Charmed RPG' by Lucrecia Almasy! If you're interested at all, come join and play. PM me if you have any questions!

Please review D


	7. The Power

Heya guys! Thanks for reviewing. I have a little problem. I'm not sure if I want to concentrate on just Piper's kids in this fic and work on Phoebe's and Paige's kids in later, maybe sequel-type fics; or if I should just include the entire family in this one story. You're opinion would be greatly appreciate. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, you guys know this already, so can I just stop typing it. I'm ever so lazy ( lol

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Chapter 7

The Power

"A clan of upper level demons whose only object is to ensure that the Charmed Ones don't exist." Prudence Charlotte Halliwell read from the Book of Shadow. "They call themselves the Power."

Patricia snorted, rolling her large brown eyes. "Original."

"So they want to kill Mom?" Penelope asked.

"They killed ours." Melinda said with a bitter tone in her voice. Five pairs of eyes went straight to her. "What I meant was that they have enough power to have killed our mother. Meaning that they'll have enough power to kill Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige."

"Do they have enough power to kill us?" Patty sniffed. "I mean, come on, we're the children of the Charmed Ones. We have a twice blessed witch on our side and half of us are part whitelighter. Altogether we could be more powerful than our mothers were in their time."

"Wait." Chris frowned. "The Power are supposed to want to destroy the Charmed Ones. Well our mothers weren't the Charmed Ones, they renounced that title a long time ago."

"Maybe they want to make sure they won't reform." Prue suggested.

Mel frowned. No, that didn't sound right. "Or maybe they weren't aiming for Mom. Maybe they were after us."

"Us?" Patty raised her eyebrows.

"Well if the Charmed Ones renounce their title, then that title can move onto another set of Warren witches." Melinda said simply. "Isn't that how it works?" She turned to Myles.

"Oh." The whitelighter's green eyes widened slightly. "Uh, well, I guess technically that would be correct. But it might be a little more complicated than that."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Prue, does the Book say anything about a vanquishing spell, or a potion?"

Prue's chocolate eyes scanned the Power entry. "Nope. There's a short history, and a warning. Oh, here we go," Prue let out a low, cold laugh, "It says we need the power of three."

"Why don't I go up to the Elders?" Myles suggested, glancing at Mel to check. She nodded and he orbed away.

"I don't trust him." Chris snarled as soon as Myles' orbs dissolved from the atmosphere.

"I know." Melinda said sternly. "But I do. And he's my whitelighter, so back off."

"I think the best game plan we can come up with is to prepare ourselves." Prue shrugged. "We can churn out some garden variety vanquishing potions and just all stick together."

"What about Wyatt?" Penny asked. "Isn't he going off to that interview?"

"Wyatt can take care of himself." Chris said. "Besides, if anything happened, I could sense it. For that matter, so could Patty," he added, glancing at the young empathic witch.

"Right, 'cause I can control my powers." Patty rolled her eyes. "So, potions!" She clapped her hands together and moved towards the Book.

"No, not you." Prue stepped between her youngest sister and the ancient tome. "You shouldn't even be here. Mom said that if there are demons around then we should send you home."

"What?!" Patty's dark eyes exploded in fury. "No way. Come on, you yourself said to stick together. What if the demons come after me at home? I'll be all alone."

"She has a point." Mel said. Prue shot her cousin a glare. "Look, we'll take care of her. Any sign of a demon, Chris will orb her right out. Besides, the more witches around, the more powerful we'll be."

There was a moment of silence. Everything that had happened over the past few minutes sunk in.

"Right, so…potions?" Penny snapped up from her seat and went over to the cauldron.

000

"Henry Samuel Mitchell, get back here!" Paige Matthews bellowed at her son. The nineteen year old boy rolled his eyes and turned around.

"What, Mom?" He mumbled. His cool, bored exterior only masked his terror. He was in for it now; his mother could be really scary when she was angry.

Paige gazed at her son and spoke in a cold, calm voice. "If I see you using your magic for personal gain, _especially_ if its to punish a mortal you don't particularly like. I promise you that you won't be able to orb anywhere until you're 21." With that, she orbed out of the room.

Henry kicked the air. He had only used a simple spell to make Robert McDonald pay for stealing his girlfriend. The bastard deserved it after all. Sighing, Henry orbed to the Halliwell Manor, knowing that either Chris or Wyatt would have something interesting to do for the day.

"Henry?" Penny looked up at him. He had orbed into the kitchen, where he found her cousin digging through the cupboards.

"Hey, Pen." Henry greeted casually. "Where is everyone? What're you doing?"

"You didn't hear?" Penny asked, pulling out a small jar of powdered toadstool. "There was demon attack."

"Another one?" Henry exclaimed, his dark eyes wide. "Why didn't anyone call me?"

"I don't know." Penny said, sticking her head into the cupboard again and pulling out a pouch of cardamom seeds. "Speaking of, we should call Peyton. She's probably at the gym, right?"

"Yeah." Henry nodded. "I'll call her."

"Come up to the attic." Penny advised, hugging all the potion ingredients to her chest.

"Here, let me help." Henry raised his hand. "Herbs!" The jars of various herbs and spices orbed out of Penny's arms. "Attic!" Two seconds later, the sound of glass clattering on floorboards echoed through the house.

"Henry, that's personal gain." Penny said softly, running upstairs to continue with her potion making.

"Personal gain." Henry growled. Rolling his eyes, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled Peyton's number.

"Hello?" A breathless voice spoke loudly into the phone.

"Hey sis." Henry said, walking up the stairs as he spoke. "Demon attack at Wyatt's. I'd get here as soon as possible if I were you."

"Junior, I've got a jujitsu class to teach." Peyton snapped. "Look, I'll get there as soon as possible, but I'm not making any promises."

"Okay." Henry bit his lip, his dark eyes glancing at a picture of the three Charmed Ones sitting together. His Aunt Piper's smile exuded such a feeling of happiness and security. "I'm just worried that's all, be careful sis."

"Yeah, I know, Junior." Peyton replied. "The kids are here, I'll see you in an hour."

Henry hung up the phone and entered the attic. Prue and Chris were sitting with the Book of Shadows and a few other books, taking notes. Penny and Melinda were sitting at the low, round altar table, making potions.

An unfamiliar man sat with Patty, speaking quietly. Patty seemed somewhat annoyed and frustrated at something.

"Is Peyton coming?" Penny asked immediately, not taking her eyes off of her work.

"Yeah, in about an hour." Henry sighed.

"An hour?!" Prue looked up. "That could be too late."

"Too late for what?" Henry asked, horror entering his gaze.

"Stop it." Mel shook her head at Prue. "Henry, she's just being melodramatic. Just because there are some demons after us doesn't mean we're in that much trouble."

"Except when those demons are very well organised and have spent their entire existence hoping to destroy the Charmed Ones." Prue snapped. "That and they've already succeeded in destroying one of them."

For a moment, the room was silent.

"Prue." Chris's voice was low and solemn. The single word was foreshadowed with anger.

"Chris." Mel stood up, moving towards her brother. "Look, we can deal with this. It's hard but we can deal with it." The hostility in the air remained, but the cousins began working again.

"Who's –," Henry began, his eyes glancing at the unfamiliar man standing in the attic.

"Myles," Mel stated, almost proudly. Chris's eyes glanced up sharply, glaring the newest member of the Warren team. "He's my whitelighter."

"Oh." Henry smiled at Myles. "I'm Henry." He held out a hand and Myles shook it. "Guys, where's Wyatt?"

"He's at an interview." Mel said, going back to the potion table.

"Huh." Henry grunted. He knew that while Wyatt was applying for a couple jobs, that his eldest cousin only wanted to do one thing. Ever since his graduation, he had wanted to teach at Magic School. Unfortunately, when the Charmed Ones renounced their title, the Elders cut all ties with the Halliwell family. Wyatt didn't have a pixie's chance in the Underworld of working at Magic School.

"What is it?" Chris raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing." Henry shook his head. "Do you guys need help?"


End file.
